Inspiration
by the-other-em
Summary: Gregor travels to the Underland one last time and finds that things have changed. For one Regalia is gone, the Underlanders are missing and theres a weird teenager traveling with him that knows nothing of the Underland. Can you solve the mystery? One-shot


**Disclaimer: I don't own TUC only Suzanne Collins does. She also owns the Hunger Games. If you guys haven't read her third book ****Mockingjay**** then you really need to get it! It's amazing!**

**A/N: This is a one-shot and it has no correlation to any of my other stories. If you're confused—good cause it's a mystery! Thanks for reading as always. Have a safe and wonderful time :) **

**Inspiration**

Gregor the Overlander was nervous. He hadn't seen any of his friends in over a year and then out of the blue a scroll from Luxa had appeared asking to meet him under Central Park. He had debated for a while- his life was finally starting to become semi-normal again, but then he realized how foolish he was being. It was just one meeting, right? No matter what he would not allow himself to be swept up in her affairs ever again.

He was pacing around the rock, waiting for the foot traffic to slow. He didn't want any one around when he moved the it and luckily the red bridge and bushes blocked him somewhat from view, but he was still in danger of being seen from the field on the other side. So Gregor waited… and waited…and waited. An old woman with a walker took about 10 minutes to walk past him and around the bend in the path. Then a whole parade of joggers went past, looking at the strange kid standing in the bushes. A woman with a baby stopped to play in the field and was so aggravatingly close to being out of eyesight that it made Gregor feel crazy. Finally they moved on and he was leaning down to push the heavy boulder out of the way when a man walked by. Gregor scrambled to act normal and pretended that he had been stretching one leg against the rock, but the trouble with acting is that it never looks real. The man gave him a strange look and kept walking and Gregor kept the stupid smile on his face until he couldn't see him anymore.

Then moving quickly he slid the rock over about a foot and slipped his skinny hips inside. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something that made him panic. The old lady was coming by again and he had no way to move without her seeing him. He ducked down a little bit almost completely hiding his form behind the large black stone and listened as the creak of her walker's wheels receded under the bridge. With a sigh he slid the rest of the way down and into the shadowy coolness of the Underland. He shoved the rock back in place and clicked one and again to get a feel for the area. He knew the stairs well but he didn't want to be surprised by anything (or any one) at the bottom. He descended slowly taking in the smells and sounds of the Underland. It was even more vivid than his dreams and he had a growing sense of nostalgia as he became more aware of his surroundings.

He hadn't realized that he missed it all this much. At the foot of the stairs he stopped wondering where Luxa was. They had communicated through scrolls in the last week of the time and day they were going to meet and she had said to wait by the stairs. Gregor clicked once more and realizing that his friend truly was late sat down on the bottom stair with a huff. He wondered what she wanted to talk about. The possibilities were endless. She wouldn't tell him in the letters what she needed but at the same time it wasn't urgent because she had let him choose when they would meet.

Over the last few days he had barely been able to think of anything but her. She would have grown taller by now- in two years he had grown until he was only a few inches shorter than his father. She wouldn't be queen yet, if the rule had stayed the same under the strange circumstances, but she would be getting ready to be. He wondered if she wore the circlet of gold or if she had grown fond of another type of crown. Maybe not too big, but a little more authoritative than the sparkly headband.

Gregor yawned and stretched, satisfyingly popping his stiff back. How long had he been sitting there? Looking down at his watch he realized that Luxa was half an hour late. He knew that they weren't on the same schedule but Ripred had been pretty precise on timing. Gregor suspected that the rat knew more about overland time than Luxa did, so he knew that he might have to wait a while before she came.

He had been too excited and nervous the night before and hadn't slept very much. He could feel sleep pulling at him and his eyelids grew heavy. Resting his chin in the palm of one hand he slowly closed them, feeling the dark dreaminess overtake him.

With a jerk his head flew up and he looked around wildly confused. The light from the fire confused him and threw him off. He looked down at the crackling flame and wondered how long he had been sleeping. Luxa must have already arrived and—Oh _man!_ If Luxa arrived while he was asleep then he was already off to a bad second first impression. He wiped his mouth hoping that she hadn't noticed the drool pooling in his hand, but she probably had. He searched the shadows but didn't see her.

He stood and walked a few paces from the fire. She wasn't there. He clicked to make sure but the only heat in the room emanated from the flames behind him. Walking further down the tunnel he wondered where she would have gone. It was unsettling that she would just disappear like that. He traveled further and further from the light wondering if he would remember his way to the Waterway after all of these years. After walking for a while he turned around and headed back to the warmth of the fire. She wouldn't have just left him there, would she? Where could she be?

Hearing a noise in the chamber with the stairs he hurried around the corner to run face first into something hard that fell to the ground with a muffled cry of pain. He gathered himself, holding onto his aching forehead to find himself looking down at a very strange boy who was also holding his forehead- eyes screwed up in pain.

"Wha-" Gregor stared at him, "What are you _doing!" _

The boy looked up at Gregor and he realized that he was probably about as old as himself. Somewhere in between fourteen and sixteen. He had dusty brown hair and light eyes, yet his clothing looked similar to the Underlanders. He even had woven shoes that fit his dirt-encased feet.

"I would like to mention that you were the one that walked into me." He said in a British dialect. Or maybe Irish. Gregor wasn't sure but it sure was closer to the Underlander's clipped accent than his own.

He reached a hand out to the boy and pulled him up. They stood there sizing each other up. The boy's face registered astonishment and confusion and Gregor was sure that his face held the same expressions.  
"So what were you doing?" He asked the boy.

"I was about to go exploring," He motioned to a satchel that had fallen to the ground, "I arrived and found that you had awoken and made leave and I was going to assist you. You lack preparedness for traveling."

_Yeah_ Gregor thought _He's definitely not from the Overland…or at least no part of New York that I've been in._

The boy retrieved the satchel and turned to go sit at the fire. After his brief explanation he seemed to lose interest in Gregor, but something pulled Gregor back towards him. He sat next to the boy and asked, "Why are you here? I thought Luxa was coming for me?"  
"Luxa? I do not believe I have met this maiden, although if I meet her in my travels I will be sure to direct her to your location."  
"Wait… you're not here from Regalia?"  
"Regalia? No I have come here on an exploration visit. I have no affiliation to the village of Regalia."

"So you're not from the Underland?"  
"Underland?"  
"This is the Underland. Or at least the Underlanders call it that. How long have you been down here." "Only a few short days. What are Underlanders?" His deep blue eyes held excitement and confusion.  
"They're the people down here. You haven't seen any of them have you? I'm expecting a visit from a girl about our age."

"No. I have seen little life in these tunnels. The natives above told me of great wonders below but I have yet to see them for myself."  
Gregor didn't really understand what the boy meant. Had he met New Yorkers that knew about the Underland? Why hadn't they mentioned the people to him then? They sat in silence before the boy said.

"I do not believe I know your name?"

"Oh! I forgot. My name is Gregor. But down here they call me Gregor the Overlander." He smiled at the memory.

"My name is Alexi although I have wished to change it to my father's name. He died in the war when I was young and when I grow into a man I will be able to carry his name."  
Gregor wondered what Alexi was smoking but didn't say it aloud. Instead he asked, "So do you live near here?"  
"Oh, yes. I plan to eventually live down here, but as of now I have not found anywhere inhabitable."  
"You want to live here?" Gregor asked, "But _why?_"

"I find it fascinating. You said that there were people here? Perhaps they can help me find a place in their society!"

"Well the Overlanders are always welcome as far as I know, but you'd have to go to Regalia or the Fount."

"Are they villages?"  
"Uh… more like Cities. Regalia is larger and it holds the palace. The fount is more like a suburb."

He could see Alexi mulling over the words. He saw him mouth the word suburb in confusion.

"It's like a small city." Gregor helped him out.

"Ahh," Alexi said, "Well you must tell me all about Regalia. I do wish to find a home here- after I moved to this new country I found this place. It is beautiful."  
"I'll tell you everything but I have a few questions first." Gregor said- knowing that his questions were far more than a few. He would have to choose wisely.

"So- you're saying that you came to America and now you want to live down here?" Gregor asked, "But you had _no idea_ that people already lived here?"  
"Yes. The colonies are open for farming yet I found a more interesting way to use my time. I have already explored another set of tunnels that the natives use for rituals but my efforts were fruitless. I could not find a way lower into the region. I would like to explore the lower layers of these caverns."

"And you're from…?"

"The South coast of England. I became a cabin boy for a crew with a destination close to the caverns. When I disappeared I'm sure they thought that the natives had captured me."  
Gregor looked at Alexi, knowing that he was talking to someone truly crazy. He looked pretty normal, but there was something in his eyes that wouldn't allow Gregor to trust him. He decided to stop asking questions- it was just confusing him.

"huh… so what do you want to know about the Underland…?"

"So you are telling me that the people were at war with the giant rats and you fought with them?"

"Yes. They believed that I was a warrior."  
"And you did not believe this?"  
"Not at first…" Gregor said, feeling his face heat up as Alexi stared at him.

"And you do now?" Alexi asked. Gregor looked up at him and nodded.

"I know how to fight now. I just don't believe the same things they do. They thought that I had been sent here by their prophet. I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is, but there is a lot of power behind men who get people to believe them." He looked over Alexi who was looking at him like he was insane.

_Well_ he thought _at least we have mutual feelings towards each other._

"So after you defeated the big rat… wait- what was his name?"

"The Bane. Well his real name was Pearlpelt because his fur was white, but everyone called him the Bane."

"So you let him live as a baby and then…killed him when he grew up?" Alexi was right and Gregor just nodded, "So then what did you do?"  
"well I was hurt pretty badly so when I was well and the peace treaty was signed I left the Underland. For good… well until now that is."

"And you've returned to see the queen."  
"Yeah. Or the princess. She won't be queen until next year."

"Ahh. So even though her parents were killed by rats she is not the queen?"  
"No. She told me that Kings and Queens aren't crowned until they turn 16."

"Very interesting. In my country we crown a king or queen when the last one has fallen. I find the concept of a council very interesting."

"I think it works well for them. We only have a president…" Gregor ducked under a stalagmite and walked on. They had been walking for over an hour and Gregor was getting worried. The entrance to the Waterway hadn't been where he remembered it, and he couldn't tell exactly where it was supposed to be anyway. The Underlanders must have sealed it off- too many Overlanders coming through maybe? But why would Luxa tell him to come down here if it wasn't an entrance? Maybe she had to take the long way around because it had been sealed- that would definitely explain her tardiness, and since there really was only one tunnel Gregor and Alexi had been following it for a good while.

Alexi kept banging into things. He didn't have echolocation skills like Gregor and the light from his small torch was menial at best. After a pause Alexi asked, "What is a president?" The question struck Gregor funny and he doubled up laughing.  
"What- What's a _President! _Oh come on! You can't be serious can you!"  
Alexi was serious.

"He's the guy that is in control of America. He's our leader. Right now his name is Bush*… you seriously have no idea what I'm talking about?" Alexi shook his head. Gregor sighed. This kid really was clueless.

Alexi stumbled into something else and Gregor looked behind him.

"That's why you're running into everything!" Gregor pointed to the small leather bound book and coal pencil grasped in his companions hands, "If you're writing and walking at the same time then of _course_ you won't be able to watch where you're going!"

"But I do not want to forget anything! The stories of your people are marvelous!"  
"My people?" Gregor asked, incredulously he continued walking down the ever inclining slope. He had to be careful or he might fall forward.

"Yes. I have heard of gypsies with bright clothes and strange stories but I had never met one until today."  
"_Gypsy!_" Gregor's outburst surprised him as much as Alexi. He laughed loud- feeling tension leaving his body. He gasped for breath and wiped tears from his eyes.

"I'm not a gypsy Alexi I—" A sudden rumbling sound filled the tunnel and Gregor was thrown away from the suddenly tumultuous ground. The earthy wave knocked Alexi off his feet as well, and he landed against the wall and slid down to sit by Gregor.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Alexi asked in a high voice.

"… I think it was a digger…" Gregor said and Alexi looked at him with wide eyes.

"It was alive!"  
"Yeah. The diggers used to be a great species down here, but they were mostly killed off when the humans came. Their leader told them that they needed to build their city on the diggers land. I can't believe that one would be so close to the surface, though." Gregor picked himself up and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. He inspected himself- Sure he was wearing a bright green t-shirt and his jeans did have holes in them but he didn't look anything like a gypsy! Looking over at Alexi he wondered where in the world this kid had gotten the idea that he was one. He wasn't normal- whoever he was.

Gregor took a step onto the ground, which seemed a lot more uneven than before. Thinking that it was sturdy enough to walk upon he took two steps forward before feeling the ground fall out from beneath him. Behind him he heard the crashing sound of the tunnel giving way and Alexi's panicked cries.

Gregor felt like slapping himself on the forehead. Of course he would be the one to walk right into the diggers' tunnel!

_Well there's nothing to do but wait out the ride…_

The tunnel was a slope, so they weren't _really_ falling, but Gregor didn't feel comfortable sliding down a huge tube with a bunch of boulders and a crazy kid.

"When we reach the bottom," Gregor called behind him, "Be ready to jump away from the rocks! You don't want to be crushed!"

He thought he could hear Alexi respond but before he could be sure the tunnel leveled out and spat them both, along with the heavy rocks, into an open cavern. Gregor jumped and rolled away from the crashing objects and felt Alexi land on top of him.

"Oof!" Gregor said and helped Alexi off of him. He stood and surveyed the scene. They were on the banks of the river leading to the waterway. Rocks from the tunnel were scattered before them, and Alexi seemed unhurt, although a little embarrassed.

"Gregor! I am apologetic of my actions—"

But Gregor wasn't listening. He was staring at the river. At the far bank of it. Of the opening to the tunnel that he recognized. The one that lead to the Waterway. They were standing right across from where the dock was! Or at least where it was supposed to be. Gregor looked again- yes he could remember this place. It was definitely where the Regalian docks were located but there was no boat, no building, no worker in sight.

_This can't be right_ Gregor thought wildly _Where is Regalia!_

He walked forward staring at the expanse of stone that he knew he knew. But no matter what he told himself- Regalia was gone. He felt very cold and alone. He could feel his hands shaking and thought that Alexi's voice was calling to him but he wasn't sure.

"LUXA!" He called into the darkness, "LUXA!"

No one answered. He gasped for air; feeling like another panic attack was coming on. Something squished under his tennis shoe he looked down to see Alexi's small leather notebook. It was open to a page and written in handwriting that he knew so well were the carefully written lines:

"AN OVERLAND WARRIOR, A SON OF THE SUN,

MAY BRING US BACK LIGHT, HE MAY BRING US BACK NONE"*

Reality snapped back like a punch to the gut. He hadn't told Alexi this detail of the story. He had only mentioned the prophecies…

'_How does he __know__!_' Gregor turned slowly to Alexi who was staring at him in disbelief.

"Gregor? Are you alright?"

Keeping both eyes on Alexi Gregor reached down and grasped the small notebook. Picking it up he turned toward Alexi- moving slowly and not trusting his own body. His balance seemed off and he wondered if he was breathing.

"Alexi…" He gasped out, "What _is _this?"

"My notes? On your stories. See- I'm like you- a story teller. I was planning to be a bard before my parents died. I wanted to write everything down to remember your stories, and then write bards about them."  
"…Alexi…" Gregor's brain didn't seem to be able to function. He was confused and lightheaded and felt that at any moment he would vomit. The world spun and he fell to his knees.

"Gregor!" Alexi helped him prop himself up on a boulder, "Gregor please speak!"

"…where…where are you from…?" He gasped out.

"I have told you. I am from England- a small port town."  
"What… was… the name!" Alexi's eyes widened as Gregor grabbed onto his shirt collar.

"S-Sandwich! Why does is matter!"  
'_This is impossible!' _Gregor was frantic. Alexi wasn't- no _couldn't be_ Sandwich. Not _the_ Sandwich. It was completely impossible! '_But how did he know!'_

"Gregor!" The panic in Alexi's voice brought Gregor out of his reverie, "Gregor what is happening to you!" Alexi pulled out of Gregor's grasp and backed away. Gregor looked down at himself and realized with a jolt that every pore in his skin was glowing. The light pulsated from him, shining through his clothes and lighting up the room in its golden sheen. Gregor could feel his whole body heating up—like he was on fire.

…"Wh- what was your father's name!" He asked desperately—feeling, with a sense of self-prophecy, that his time with Alexi was coming to an end. Alexi's face was one of horror and he gazed in amazement at Gregor.

Gregor gasped as parts of his skin seemed to pixelate and fly away from him. He was watching himself dissolve and he could do nothing to stop it. He opened his mouth to yell but no sound came out. His eyes were overcome with the hot light.

Then everything was black and in the blackness he heard the words that darkened his heart.

"Bartholomew. M-my father's name was Bartholomew."

"Gregor! _GREGOR!" _

The light was blinding compared to the darkness that he came from. He jolted back from the voice and looked wildly around the room. As it came into focus he noticed for the first time a pair of violet eyes just inches from his own. Focusing on them he realized that Luxa was staring at him in concern.

"I believe you were having a nightmare!" She said, laughing at him. He realized that he had a string of drool connecting his mouth to his hand and hastily wiped it away on his pants. She laughed and stepped back, "You look so different, yet you are the same."  
He looked at her. In the last few years she had matured and the beautiful young woman that stood before him was absolutely breathtaking. He stood from the bottom stair and felt as though his legs had been asleep for a while. He wobbled a bit and shook himself out, stretching and feeling his neck pop. It probably wasn't a good idea to sleep in that position.

He turned towards Luxa her face mirroring his own happiness. It had only been a dream. Gregor grinned at her as he said, "And you look just as wonderful."  
She blushed that cute head-to-foot blush and turned to warm her hands at her fire. Gregor remembered vividly his dream, nightmare, and how Alexi had lit his own fire before him. Shaking away his uneasy feeling Gregor sat next to Luxa, close enough for friendliness but not close enough to touch. He didn't quite know what their status was. He had left with a kiss—feeling that it would be their last encounter, yet here he was—wanting so badly to kiss her but not knowing if she wanted the same.

"So how have you been?" Gregor asked.

"I have been…growing up." Luxa said, "It's hard learning to be queen. A lot harder than I thought."  
"So how is everything in Regalia?" An image of the flat rock of Regalia from his dream invaded his thoughts and he shook it away.

"It goes well. We are still at peace—thanks to a certain warrior." She nudged him playfully in the side. He laughed, "How are you faring Overlander?"  
He smiled and said, "Better now that you are here." She laughed again.

"And your family?" She smiled at the memory of them.

"They are well. My dad teaches again, and my mom only has to work as a secretary. Boots and Lizzie are great, as usual…" He didn't really know what to say. They were all fine. There really wasn't much to report.

"Gregor…" Luxa's tone changed to one less happy and more serious, "I would have liked this to only be a social visit, but unfortunately I come bearing heavy news."

Gregor felt his stomach drop. He didn't know how he would handle any more weirdness. He braced himself and stared deep into her eyes. She continued:

"Gregor we have recently found something in one of Sandwiches collections. He had several items from the Overland that he kept after he established Regalia. We've recently found a passageway that had previously been closed filled with what we believe to be his earliest collections." She stopped and looked down at the fire.  
"Gregor this is going to sound very odd but we found something that we think belongs to you. We cannot figure it out. The passageway—for all we know—has been closed for about 500 years." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a keychain. It was the exact keychain that Vikus had shown him. The one that belonged to his father. The rusty remnants of apartment and car keys dangled from the mangled piece of woven leather. It was very different than when he had last seen it. His father had loaned him the car to go to central park and the keys had been in his…pocket.

He reached into his back pocket and froze. Instead of the keys he felt something else in his pocket. Something larger and rectangular that had the velvety smoothness of leather. His breathing kicked up. Slowly—as if afraid to break it—he pulled the object out of his pocket, cradling it in his hand.

It was Sandwich's notebook.

**A/N: Whoa! This one-shot turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. It's also a lot cooler than intended! So to all of you that don't quite understand what just happened let me give you a little help. Gregor DID time travel. I've been reading The Time Travelers Wife recently (epic book by the way) and he really did me Bartholomew of Sandwich. And yes, he left his keychain there and took Sandwiches book. Luxa found Gregor asleep AFTER he had teleported back to his own time. So… yeah. I just wanted to straighten those things out before I got questions in the reviews. I think it's pretty obvious in the story but I know that sometimes we as readers don't read carefully!**

**Okay so now you know what to do right? That's right—****you should review!**

***"Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins was printed in 2003. Gregor was 11 at the time so if he is now 15 then it is 2007-8 in his world. George W. Bush was the president. This reference to the president has no affiliation to my own personal beliefs and is not in any way a political statement. I am not trying to influence anyone- I'm just trying to make my story authentic. **

***From "Gregor the Overlander" (Suzanne Collins) Page 109**

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